Electric house number and auto number



-w. E. BURKE 1,761,868

ELECTRIC HOUSE NUMBER AND AUTO NUMBER June 3, 1930.

Filed Aug. 19, 1929 Z 7 mh UH H WHU 0 r v 2? lqllll x Va 7 2.! 92 J m um l 8 4 NM/II/EMIIU -Z Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES WILLIAM E. BURKE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA ELECTRIC HOUSE NUMBER AND AUTO NUMBER Application filed August 19, 1929. Serial No. 387,069.

My present invention relates to a portable, electrically illuminated sign and has for its main object to provide a highly efficient device of a'character described that may be manufactured at low cost, illuminated economicall'y, conveniently carried from place to place, and the sign proper in which may be easily removed and another readily substituted therefore. 7

In the accompanying drawings like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views. I

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on theline 38 of Fig. 1.

The main body or casing of the device is indicated as an entirety by the numeral 4,

the casing cover by the numeral 5, and the legs of the casing near opposite end portions thereof by the numeral 6. The main body 4; of the casing is elongated and in the front face thereof indicated by the numeral 7 is an elongated sign opening 8 directly behind which inside of the casing 4 is a transparent panel of glass or the like 9. I t

The casingv cover 5 is flat and substantially horizontal at its central portion at lO'but is sloped therefrom downward close to its line of contact with the'top of the end portions of the main body 4, and said cover is hing-' edly connected to the front top portion of the main casing body at 11. The casing 5 is normally maintained in a'closed position by standardform of clamping devices 12 which,

when loosened, will allow the cover to betilted pivotly forward on its hinge 11 to an upside down position as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. On the underside of the horizontal central portion of thecover 5 and movable therewith is a normally inverted electric light bulb socket 13 and projecting downward from which is'an electric light bulb 14. It will be noted, however, that this bulb 14 does not project below the opening 8 on the face of the casing and will not therefore be visible therethrough.

The terminals of the socket 13 are indicated by the numeral 15 and are connected by wires 16 to a prong socket 17 that projects through the back of the cover 5. This socket 17 is a standard well-known type and is adapted to receive the prongs 18 to a plug 19 and which plug may be assumed to be connected to a convenient electric power outlet through a cord 20.

Directly back of the glass panel 9 is a translucent sign 21 comprising a substantially opaque sheet 22 having suitable characters 23 cut therethrough and a backing of translucent material which in the drawings is illustrated as a sheet of colored glass 2 1. hen the colored translucent backing is used, the characters maybe brightly illuminated in a desired color at night when the bulb is lighted and also a clear colored character will appear in daylight without illumination, and without changing the sign or its background. The glass panel 9, sign sheet 22 and a translucent sheet 24: are normally maintained in position by angle strips 25 on opposite ends of the inside of the main body of the casing and are removable therefrom when the cover is turned back into a full open position by simply raising the same vertically from the channels formed between said angle strips and the remaining front end portions of the casing. One sign sheet may therefore be readily removed and another inserted in place thereof. In my device all the exposed inside areas of the casing including the cover are polished and serve as efiicient reflectors and the back wall of the casing is rounded outward toward its central portion. By thus arranging the reflecting surface and locating the bulb substantially as described a high degree of efficiency in current consumption is obtained for the amount of illumination reserved.

This invention relates particularly to small compact devices and may be placed in store windows or on a window sill inside of the dwelling window. When the signs are used in the home, for example, it may be desired at times to provide an illumination house number or at other times it may be desired to advertise some article for sale or display a sign agreement, these changes may, of course,

be made in a very short time and with little eflort.

0n the top central portion of the casing 5 is a carrying handle 26 that is secured thereto by screws or the like 27. 7

While the device is illustrated as bein provided with supporting legs 6 or the like.

it may, ofcourse, be supportedrby. inverted L-shaped brackets 27* shown by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. These brackets are provided with slots 28=near their lower downturned end portions and may be'slipped over the heads of screws or the likethat project I outward from a wall orother surface on which i it is desired to mount the illuminated'sign. IWVhatIclaimiszv A portable electric sign comprising a casing main body, an elongated opening in the front of said casing main body, a cover over the main body ofsaid casing and being hingedly' connected thereto at the front thereof above said opening and detachably connected to the casing body at its upper rear portion by means ofclamping devices,

the reflecting surfaces substantially cover- 1 ing the exposed inner surfaces of the casing,

said. casing being rounded outward" between its ends to form a rounder reflector surface back of the opening'in the front of the easing, said cover being inclined toward its central portion, an electric bulb carriedby the central portion of said cover and dependingtherefrom but being above the opening in'the front of the casing, a carrying handle on the topvof said casing cover, and a vertical, removable, translucent sign in the casing and covering the opening in the front portion thereof. v t r i testimony whereof I affix my signature.

" WILLIAM E. BURKE. 

